France Sets 2020 Deadline for Banning of Plastic Cutlery

In an effort to reduce plastic waste, France has set a 2020 deadline for banning plastic cutlery that isn’t made of biodegradable material. In addition to that effort, the country banned single use plastic bags earlier this year, which is becoming a norm for many cities, states and countries.

While France thinks it’s doing the right thing by moving forward with the ban, Pack2Go says that the ban violates EU regulations on the free movement of goods.

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As impossible as it is to imagine a world without plastic waste, we just got a little bit closer to that reality as France has set a 2020 deadline to ban plastic cutlery unless it’s made from biodegradable material.

The ban makes France the first country in the world to enact such a rule, and comes after France recently banned single-use plastic bags in July—a move many cities and states in the U.S. have already made with notable success.

Plastic forks, spoons, and knives are big business for restaurants around the world, but in keeping up with its commitment to reduce its impact on the environment, France sees the ban as a vital and simple step. The plastic cutlery producers, however, see it much differently.